All I Ask
by parsda
Summary: 9/27/17 - I've had this chapter written from the first day I started the story. It's taken a bit to actually get to it, but I hope you like it. Again, I'm not a military or medical expert, I just write it how I want it to be. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**All I Ask**

I dropped my bag by the door and closed it quietly. I walked into the bedroom and stood in the doorway. I could stand here all night and just watch her sleep. It was an image that I committed to memory. I would have taken a picture of her with my phone, but where I was headed, it would be too risky. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. She woke up slightly and saw me in the doorway.

"Ranger, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Babe, we need to talk. Can you get up and meet me in the living room?"

"Ranger, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

"Babe, please come to the living room." I turned and walked out of the bedroom and headed towards her couch. A few minutes later she walked out and stood looking at me. "Ranger, what's going on?"

"Babe, sit down. I got a call earlier tonight and I have to leave. You know I can't tell you much more, but I wanted to see you before I go."

"Ranger, you've gotten calls like this before, but I can tell something's different about this one, isn't it?"

"Babe, you know me too well. This one is different. It's more dangerous than any other time I've left and there's a great risk to all of the men who will be with me."

I looked at her and held her gaze. I needed her to understand what I was saying. "Babe, there's a really good chance I won't make it back from this one."

She sat and stared at me. Tears were forming in her eyes and before she could stop them, they started falling down her face. I reached over and wiped them away for her and she grabbed my hand and brought it to her lips. "Ranger, no. I won't believe that, you always come back. You come back to me. You have to come back to me. I can't be me without you."

I stood up and pulled her into my arms. I held her while she sobbed and just kept running one hand through her hair, while my other hand was rubbing her back. I kissed her on top of her head and leaned down to tip her face up to look at me. "Babe, I want you to know that Tank and the guys will be here to help you with any of your work and I'd really love it if you came to work fulltime for the guys." I gave her gentle kiss on the lips and held her tight again.

Steph looked up at me and gave a half smile. "You don't really want me working for you fulltime, do you? Do you know how many of your men I would break if I was always around them?"

"Babe, I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe that you could do it. You're wasting your time at the bonds office, your skills are so much more and I'm being selfish when I say that because I want you at RangeMan. Please think it over and talk to the guys. Tank is in charge while I'm away and has a contract all ready for you. Please."

"Ok, I'll think it over, just for you. When do you leave Ranger?"

I looked at my watch and groaned silently. I didn't want my time with Steph to end. I wanted this night to last forever. "I have about 6 hours before I have to go. I'm all packed." I nodded towards the bag sitting on the floor by her front door.

She leaned down and gave me a kiss. "Six hours doesn't sound like enough time, but let's see what we can do in that time." She grabbed my hands and pulled me into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind her.

Approximately five hours late, Steph had fallen asleep. I laid with my arms wrapped around her and just held her. I wanted to remember everything about this night with her. I'd never seen her so responsive or loving when we'd been together in the past. She poured every emotion she had into tonight. I just hope she falls into a deep enough sleep that I could leave without her waking up. I don't think I'd be able to leave if she was awake when my time was up.

Steph sighed in her sleep and rolled over, now facing me. I pulled her back into my arms and kissed her gently. She sighed again and was back to sleep, with her head resting on my chest. I laid there with her and just watched her sleep. She always joked about me breaking into her apartment just to watch her sleep, but I don't think she realized how much just being in her presence calmed me.

Unfortunately, time didn't stand still and it was finally time to go. I kissed her again, very gently on her lips and she slept on. I slipped out of bed and got dressed. A quick stop in the bathroom and I was ready to go. One last look at her and I quietly left the bedroom and shut the door behind me. I walked into the kitchen and pulled out some paper and a pen and sat down and wrote her a note. I told her that I loved her and would always love her and if things didn't have a happy ending with this job, then I hoped that she would find someone who would love her for who she was and not want to change any part of her. I once again, asked her to talk to Tank and guys about working for the company. My eyes were full of tears by the time I was done writing.

I heard the car pull into the parking lot and had the door opened by the time Tank got up the stairs. He handed me a bag from the bakery and I handed him my bag. I walked back into the kitchen and left the bakery bag and note sitting on the table when she would be sure to see it. I stopped one last time by her bedroom and took one last look at her. I started to walk away and then turned around and went in and gave her one last kiss. I turned and quickly walked out of the apartment and followed Tank to the car.

The car ride to the airport was silent. Tank understood what I was walking into and everything was all in order with my lawyers to have Tank, Lester and Bobby take over the company if I die. My will had been updated to include Stephanie. I couldn't leave this world without knowing that she would be taken care of if I didn't come back. Tank had the combination to my safe in my apartment and would handle everything I had left if the need arose.

We pulled up to the terminal and Tank stopped the car. He got out and opened the trunk to get my bag out. We stood and stared at each other. "Take care of her for me. She's going to need someone when she wakes up so please stop by on your way back. I love her Tank."

"Don't worry about us and don't worry about Steph. We've got her and will not let anything happen to her. I'll talk to her and get the guys to help convince her to work for us instead of the bonds office. Just worry about yourself and getting your ass home when the job is done. You are too damn stubborn to die in some godforsaken hell hole."

Tank pulled me in for a manly hug and then I walked away. I turned around for one last look at my best friend and said, "Thanks."


	2. Chapter 2

By the time I got to my destination, I had forced myself to put Steph out of my mind. This job was going to be absolutely horrendous, and I needed to have a clear head going into it. I left my personal belongings with a trusted friend at the base we deployed from for a couple of reasons. One, I didn't want to tempt myself and try to contact her and two, if something happened to me and I was captured, I didn't want her information to fall into their hands. Steph caused enough problems on her own, most of the time unintentionally, and I didn't want to add to it for her.

I had been told that this could be over within a few weeks, or if it all went to shit, it could go on for months, if not years. I was hoping for a few weeks with a satisfying ending for me and my group of men. The objective of the mission was clear, find the target and take him out. Sounds easy, right? It all depended on the Intel we were about to receive.

After the briefing, I met up with my men. We came up with the main plan, a back-up plan, a back-up to the back-up plan and the final, run for your life, plan. Anything past the first back-up plan usually did not end well for anyone involved. Thankfully I've never had to use the run for your life plan and hoped to not have to for this job. We checked our gear and headed in to eat and rest. We were leaving at sundown that night.

Once I ate, checked my gear again, I laid down on my bunk. I closed my eyes and all I could see was Steph. I replayed our last night together over and over in my mind. I swear I could still feel her next to me. I got up and pulled out a small notebook from my bag. I always bring a few with me to have to pass notes between the guys if needed, but this one, I was going to use as a journal of sorts. I decided to write my thoughts down each day and if something did happen to me, it would be given to Tank and he would make sure Steph got it. I wrote in it for a few minutes, making the first page a note of instructions what to do with it in the event of my death and then wrote down my thoughts from today's travels and meetings. I made sure not to give away any information that could be used against my group of men, but wanted to provide Steph enough information to know what I'd been doing and how much I'd been thinking about her. I never called her by name in the notebook, but she would know I was writing about her.

I put the notebook back into my bag and when shuffling it to the bottom of the bag, I found the bottle of her shower gel. I opened it up just to smell it. Steph always steals my shower gel and I've never called her out for it. Now, after sitting here in the middle of hell, smelling a bottle of shower gel, I understand. I understand why she takes it and uses it so she can smell me. Good thing for her when I took her bottle, I left her a bottle of mine. If she would finally decide to work for RangeMan, she would have an endless supply of it, courtesy of Ella. I felt my self finally falling asleep, with a smile on my face at the memory of our last night and the bottle of shower gel in my hand.

I woke a few hours later and put the bottle back into my bag. Hopefully the rest of the guys don't see a bottle of strawberry shower gel in my stuff. I'd never hear the end of it from them. I've never been on a mission when I've left someone at home that I loved so much. Most of the guys I work with are not married or even have serious relationships because of the danger of this work and that there was a chance that they wouldn't return home. This was going to be my last mission and I prayed I'd come home sitting in a seat on the plane and not in a box in the cargo hold of the plane.

We loaded into a small plane and took off. The pilot circled the jump site and opened the door. One by one, we jumped and parachuted into what was still hopefully a safe zone. Once we landed, we all scrambled to pack out chutes away and soon all had a weapon out and ready to go. One of the men pulled out a compass and we set off, with him in the lead, a group in the middle and I brought up the rear, watching behind us as we crept along in the dark. We had about a ten mile walk ahead of us and we wanted to reach our target's location before sunrise. Once we got settled with the location in sight, we'd bunker down for the day, watching the routines of those around our target and figure out what we were going to do.

We settled in about a mile from the target's last know location. Pulling out a pair of binoculars, I was able to zero in on the front of the building. Two guards outside in front of the door, not moving and it seemed, not really paying attention to their surroundings. I watched for an hour before I noticed any sign of life from inside. The front door opened and two other men came out and traded places with the two already outside. We watched for another couple hours and realized it was only these four men and no one else at the front of the building. A couple of the guys circled around to the other side of the building, still staying about a mile away. The communicated back after a couple hours that it was the same rotation in the back. Two standing outside and two to replace every hour. They determined that we were dealing with a total of six men. We decided to wait and see how the night went and if the routine changed. If it stayed the same, it would be easy to get past the six guards. We took turns sleeping and when it was my turn, I wrote a quick note in my journal before I stretched out for a bit of sleep.

The night went by quietly. It seemed like there were still only the six men and we were able to determine where in the building someone was by which windows had lights burning. We talked quietly as a team and decided to watch for a few more days. There wasn't any activity in the area around us other than this one building. All of the other buildings seem abandoned as we saw no other people or activity. I hope this meant that we would get the job done quickly and get the hell out of here.


	3. Chapter 3

We waited five days and nothing in the guard routine had changed so we went over our plan and came up with a couple contingency plans in case it all went to shit in the middle of it. Two of the guys would get as close to the building as they could without detection. We decided to attack in the dark so we could make our way back to the pickup spot without hopefully any detection. We planned to have two guys in the back take out the back guards a few minutes before the shift change and then when the new shift came out of the house, we'd take out the four in the front before they could alert anyone inside. At that point, it would be a race into the building to take out the target, grab what we could that would give any kind of help to our superiors and get the hell out of there.

We spent the next few hours double checking our weapons and bags. I made sure I had enough ammunition to cover all of us on the way out. I wrote a few minutes in my journal and put it back in the bottom of my bag. A few hours before we planned to go into action, a jeep came down the road and stopped in front of the building. Two men got out and leading a third man, who had a hood over his head and hands tied behind his back, went inside the house. The team in the back radioed in with the new activity in the house. Lights came on in a different corner of the house where there had been no activity before while we were watching. I assumed that's where the hostage was going to be held.

We called a halt to our plans until we could figure out who had arrived and who they were holding. One of the guys in the front with me had snapped a picture of the hostage and sent it on to command to see what they could uncover. Within thirty minutes, a reply came that the hostage was a missing US soldier. They were able enlarge the photo and pick out details on his clothes. He had been at the base camp we left through and then suddenly was just gone. We learned that he had disappeared a couple of days after we left. No one had seen what had happened to him and they were unable to find any leads and hadn't received any communication from him or from whoever was holding him. Our mission just got a bit more complicated. Now we had to take out the six guards, two newcomers and the target, all the while keeping the hostage alive and returning him with us. Well, hell. All I could think was it was going to be even longer to get back to Steph and that pissed me off. A dangerous mission that actually seemed to going in the right direction just got fucked up.

We waited another three days, just holed up and observing. The two new guys joined the guard rotation so now two were in the front, two in the back, and four in the building. That didn't sit well with me. If the four outside were taken out, we still had to deal with the four in the house, along with the original target. We talked over some plans and come up with basically the same plan as before, with the exception of going into the house. We decided to take out the four men on guard duty outside and then wait. We'd wait for the replacements to come outside and then take them out as well. That would leave the target and the hostage inside. Hopefully the hostage would recognize who we were and not try to attack us if he was able to do so. We assumed the target would have at least one weapon on him, if not more in his immediate vicinity.

When it was finally dark enough to execute our plan, we double checked our gear and ammunition again. I was able to find a few minute to write in the journal and told my babe that I loved her. I told her it almost go time and knew she would understand and if she didn't, the guys would explain it to her. Looking at the house and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I gave the command to start the countdown. Once I gave that command, these men's lives were my responsibility to get out of there alive and back home to their families.

We had decided to take the two out in the back first and let the front exchange spots before taking out the two in the front and letting the two in the back get outside before taking them out as well. Hopefully, no one else would show up in the next few minutes. I hoped for a quick fifteen minute mission before hitting the trail to the pickup location.

Speaking into my mic, I started the countdown, all the while watching the front door.

 _3…2…1..._


	4. Chapter 4

The front door opened and the two new guards stepped outside. It was lucky for us that they shut the front door and then stepped out next to the other two guards. Shots from my men took out the four very quickly and quietly. We made our advance towards the front of the house and reached the guards. We all grabbed one of them and drug them out of view and then I clicked my mic to signal the team in the back to take down the four guards in the back as they changed shifts. Within seconds I heard the confirmation mic click and two of my men in front with me circled around to the back door so now we had four of us coming through the front door and four of us coming through the back door. Another mic click to signal they were in place and then silently counting down in my head and with one last vision of in my head of Steph, _3..2..1_ , I clicked my mic and we stormed through the doors simultaneously.

A swift kick from my boot took out the front door at the same time as I heard the back door crashing. We stormed in with our weapons drawn and looking in the room, saw the hostage tied to a chair with the bag still over his head. He was struggling to get free and one of the guys headed over him right away. The rest of us cleared the rooms one by one. Son of a bitch, the target was not here.

While the medic of our group checked over the hostage, the rest of us tore that building apart. We search every inch and spent time looking for trap doors and hidden passage ways. We questioned the soldier who had been the hostage and he knew nothing. His last memory was a brief jog around the boarder of the base and then nothing. We radioed into command and share the news, or lack of news about the target. Command decided to send in a team to clear out the building. Something had to be here, why else would there be eight guards in an empty building. We came to the conclusion that the hostage was taken as a backup to whatever they were planning.

Once the new team arrived, we headed back to the pickup spot with the hostage and flew back to the base camp. I was not happy. Not finding the target, or even any trace of the target, pissed me off to no end. I was starting to think more and more about Steph and I knew I had to get her out of my mind before we headed out again. Hopefully the scout team would have a new location for us to head to and end this mission.

I met with the commanders and they understood my anger and frustration. I insisted that I be allowed to get a message back to my team at RangeMan to let them know that I was okay and that it wasn't over yet. It took a few hours, but finally they relented to let me make one phone call. I prayed that Steph would be at the office so I could hear her voice, but if not, then one of the guys could at least tell her that I was okay.

For being as far away as I was from Trenton, the call went through quickly. Tank answered on the second ring, "What?"

"Well, if that's how you're going to answer the phone, maybe I should have call Lester instead."

"Ranger, that you?"

"Who else would it be dumbass? Where's Steph?"

"Gee, once upon a time, you used to worry about your company and now it's just all about a girl."

"Tank, I don't have much time. How is she? Is she there so I can talk to her?"

"I'm getting her, just a minute. The company is fine by the way. She showed up about two days after you left and I got her to sign the contract a day later. She made the Kloughn look it over and then made a few changes and signed. Training is going well, no explosions and the cop has moved onto someone else. She seems okay with it. Talked her into moving into the building. We all feel better knowing she's out of that apartment."

"She there yet? I'm running out of time."

"Ranger?" said Steph.

"Babe, I'm so glad you're there. I only have a few minutes, but I wanted to let you know that I'm fine. We ran into a few issues and have more work to do, but I just needed to hear your voice. I miss you Babe."

"Oh god Ranger, I miss you too. I haven't stopped thinking about you since you left me that morning. Your note made me cry and I read it every night before I go to bed. How much longer do you think you'll be gone?"

"Babe, I don't know how much longer. We've hit a few snags, but hope to get back out in the field and get it over with soon. I am so happy to hear that you've joined RangeMan and moved into the building. I'm proud of you Babe."

"Ranger, don't worry about me. Just get the job done and come home to us. Please hurry home. I miss you so much."

"Babe, I miss you too. Listen, I've only got a minute left and I need to talk to Tank again. I'll try to call again when I can. Please take care of yourself and be careful. I love you Babe."

"Oh Ranger, please be careful. I love you too." She handed the phone back to Tank and then ran out of the office, holding her hand over her mouth. Tank put the phone up to his ear and said, "You okay RangeMan?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay. She really okay? She sounded a bit off."

"She's okay, just got something to deal with, but she's doing a good job. We're watching over her and helping when needed. Is this mission as bad as they told you going into it?"

"It's had its moments. Right now, we're dealing with bad intel and trying to figure out where to go next. I've got to get going. Take care of yourself and Steph. I appreciate all that you're doing for me. Got to go, I'll try to call again when I get the chance. Give her a recording of our conversation from this call if you think she'd like it." With that, the call disconnected and Tank sat holding the receiver for a minute. Steph had run out of the room and he needed to go check on her. First, though, he cut the audio of the conversation between Ranger and Stephanie and sent it to her phone. Then he got up and walked out to check on her. He found her sitting at her desk with her head laying down. Tear tracks were drying on her face and she was sniffling.

"Hey, you okay? He sounded good, didn't he?"

"Oh Tank, I'm so glad I got to talk to him. I just wish he would have said he was on his way home."

"So why didn't you tell him?"


	5. Chapter 5

_Stephanie POV_

"Tank, I can't tell him something like this over the phone. Besides, he doesn't need to have anything else to worry about. I'll tell him as soon as he gets home," I said.

Tank looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I need to practice that some more upstairs. I still can't do it.

"Tank, if you were in Ranger's place and you were able to call and talk to Lula, would you want to hear this kind of news? Don't you think your mind wouldn't be in the right place?"

Tank sighed and said, "You're right." I smiled at him and said, "Of course I am!" We both laughed and then I said I was going to head upstairs for a bit to lay down. My stomach was still not great and I needed a few minutes to myself without one of the guys hovering. Ever since I found out I was pregnant, and shared the news at the next staff meeting, the guys were always hovering. The morning sickness started about a week after I moved into the building and for some reason, I'm one of the lucky that get morning sickness all day long. Of course, I do…

I opened the apartment door and went inside, dropping my keys on the side table as I walked by. The contractor that I had hired, with Tank's approval, was almost done with the new rooms. I wanted a second bathroom, as the only one was in the bedroom and a nursery. I had ideas on what I wanted in the nursery and hoped that Ranger would be back before it was time to paint. I knew the guys would help, but I wanted Ranger there with me.

I grabbed a bottle of water and went to sit on the couch for a bit. The next thing I knew, Bobby was shaking my shoulder, waking me up. "Hey Bomber, Tank said you got sick again downstairs."

"Yeah, this little one is not me feel too good. Oh, did you hear that Ranger called? I got to talk to him for a few minutes. I didn't tell him about the baby, though. I don't want him to worry about us, he has a job to do and doesn't need to have him mind wander back to us."

"I agree with you. Ranger needs to have his head in the mission, not here with you. I know that you're always on his mind, but this time, the mission is more important. I hope you understand what I'm saying."

"Bobby, I do understand. I would never want to interfere with something so important. Maybe you can talk to Tank and make him understand?" I asked.

"I will when I go back downstairs. Now, look at what I found that might help you." He pulled out a bag of suckers. "These are made to help with morning sickness. Give them a try and if they help, I'll get you some more and you can leave some in different places so you will always have some, no matter where you are in the building."

"Thanks Bobby." I gave him a kiss on his cheek and pulled one out of the bag. I opened the wrapper and gave it a try. "I'll let you know how they work."

He left a few minutes later and I followed him down a few minutes later. I went back to my desk and got a couple hours of work done before Lester stopped by. More hovering. "Ready to go shoot some paper people?" he asked.

I let out a sigh. "I guess." "Come on Beautiful. You know you like to spend time alone with me." He pulled me out of my chair and we headed to the gun range. The guys had decided to make my range time as enjoyable as they could for me. I still hate my gun, but I was at least now a bit better at using it, at least in the range. I was off field work due to the baby, but that was fine with me.

Today the bad guys had Dickie's face on the paper bodies and the good guys had Lester's face. I laughed at him and started shooting Dickie's. Each one had a shot in the chest and one between the eyes, well at least close to between the eyes. The last one I added a few groin shots, just for fun and besides, it made Lester cringe. We cleaned up and I called it a day.

I went upstairs and found a couple books for flooring and paint choices left by the contractor. I guess it couldn't wait much longer. I hoped Ranger liked whatever I picked out. I flipped through them and then headed into the kitchen to see what Ella had left for dinner. Soup, bread and a bowl of fruit. Of all the things this baby could do to me, making me throw up every time I ate something sweet for dessert, was not my favorite. I just hoped that when this was all over, donuts would taste good again.

I cleaned up after I ate and then headed into the bedroom. A quick shower, with Ranger's shower gel of course, and then I headed to bed. Once in bed, I reached into the drawer on the night stand and pulled out my journal and a pen. I was trying to keep a journal of the time since Ranger left so when he gets home, he can read about how every day without him went for me, and now for me and the baby. I also took a picture once a week and printed it off to add to the journal. I now had a little bulge and you could finally see a change in the pictures. A few prayers said for Ranger's safety, a good night pat to the baby and a kiss to the picture I have of Ranger and I from the last RangeMan Christmas party, and I fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_Back to Ranger's POV_

Talking to my Babe gave me a new energy to get this job done. I headed back to the briefing room to see if anything new had been discovered. I needed to get home. I knew this was my last mission for the government. My contract was up at the end of this job and if I made it home, I was not going renew, no matter what they threw at me as an incentive. I only started doing these jobs to get enough money to get RangeMan started and now that it was a very profitable company, with office in multiple cities, I didn't need to do this anymore. I was too old for this shit. There were enough younger soldiers that were just like I was at their age, and they were more than capable of taking over these types of jobs.

The new intel was encouraging and I met up with my team after to come up with some plans of action. I always like to have at two, if not three, plans. You never knew when things would get fucked up along the way. We worked for a few hours and then got some food and went to bed. We would be leaving about midnight for our next drop. I pulled out my journal and started writing. I explained that things didn't go smoothly the first time and we were working on the attempt two. I told Steph how glad I was that she was at the office when I was able to call and how much I loved her. I told her how much she meant to me and how glad I was that I got to spend that night with her before I left. I reminded her that I would stay safe and that I would try to contact her again, if I had the chance. One more sniff of the shower gel and I fell asleep. I dreamed of her, but I did that almost every time I got some sleep.

Midnight rolled around and we were flying out again, ready to drop into a dangerous area, with nothing more than what we could carry on ourselves. Once on the ground we met up with the scout team who had a visual confirmation of our target. He was in an out-building on a deserted farm. My guess is at one time, this was a prospering farm, but as so often happens in this part of the world, it was taken over by the opposition and turned into a training camp. They were able to get a few photographs of the target and I was able to confirm that this was the correct person. There were six guards around the farm, and after digging in and watching for about a week, we were able to figure out the guard schedule and rotation. Two members of the scout team stayed with my group and that gave us thirteen guys to handle this job.

It seemed like a simple mission at this point. Thinking back to the first briefing I'd had about it, the brass weren't concerned about the number of men we'd have to get through to get to the target, they were more concerned about the fallout of the death of this man. We needed to be quick to get the target eliminated, send them confirmation of the kill and get our asses out of the area as fast as possible. The extraction was going to be the hardest part. Once the death was known, anything or anyone that didn't look like they belonged would be eliminated. This included our extraction helicopter.

I laid out the plan of action to the guys and we broke off into pairs to take out the guards and when it was clear, they would join me to get the target. We waited until they were close to the end of a shift, as we noticed they all seemed a bit antsy by that point and after moving my men into position all over the area, on my count the guards were taken out at the same time. All were down and it seemed quiet, that none of them were able to get off any sort of radio call before going down.

We carefully approached the out-building and I had two of my men check for any triggers that would set off explosions. Nothing was found so on my count, we went in through the front door and the back windows. The only sounds in the building were coming from my men. The target was passed out on the floor, with an empty bottle of booze lying next to him. We all stood in disbelief for a moment and then moved into action. The target was photographed and it was sent back to command. I asked to take the target hostage instead of killing. It was confirmed that this would be acceptable. Maybe this way, our government would get information out of him and then they could deal with his eventual outcome. We secured him with zip ties and one of the men hauled him over his shoulder and we slowly made our way out of the building and after a quick scan of the area, determined it was time to go. We double timed it the extraction point and made the call for the copter. It was only three minutes out and even though that doesn't seem like a long time, when you're in the this type of situation, it could feel like hours.

We heard the sound of the helicopter and headed for the clearing. Once it was down, we hustled into it, all thirteen of us and the target, now hostage. It took off and we were soon flying back to the base. There were a few moments of gunfire at the copter, but we returned fire immediately and the pilot flew higher to get out of gunfire range. I knew that briefings would take a few days, maybe up to a week and then I'd be on my way home to my babe. I had a ring already bought and was in my safe. All I had to do was get home and set the scene for my proposal. I had never felt like this about anyone before and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

Landing at the base almost seemed like I was home. I helped get the hostage into a secured location on base and went to shower. I took the bottle of shower gel with me, just to smell. I couldn't go back to my men smelling like a strawberry, but I needed to smell Steph for a few minutes. I got dressed, grabbed something to eat and sat down on my bunk and wrote for a few minutes in my journal. I told her I was done with the hard part of the mission, how it went easier this time and now just the debriefing and then I'd be coming home to her. I told her I loved her and couldn't wait to see her and hold her and kiss her.

The debriefing went surprisingly quick. It seemed the brass were happy that we brought the target back alive and they would be transporting him to a more secure facility in the states and hoping to get a lot of information out of him. They asked if I would be able to help with the transport home and I agreed, as it meant I'd get to leave sooner than expected. I went back and packed my few belongings and headed for the transport truck. The truck had the driver and one other soldier up front and in the back was the hostage, who was securely fastened to the truck, two guards and myself. We took off and headed for the airstrip. It wasn't far from the base and we arrived within ten minutes. We pulled directly up to the plane and the guards waited for the driver to open the back of the truck and once they did, the hostage was taken out of the truck and herded into the plane, where he was secured to the seat. The two guards sat on either side of him and I followed onto the plane carrying just my bag. The plane took off and we headed towards home.

I pulled out my journal and wrote for about an hour. I poured out every emotion I had for Stephanie into my writing. I wrote of my plans for the proposal, right down to the words I wanted to say to her. I talked about redecorating my apartment at RangeMan and that if she wanted, I wanted to have a couple of children with her. I wrote of what I thought our children would be like. A boy who was just like me, but with Stephanie's eyes. He would have a strong name and would eventually want to take over RangeMan so I could retire and spend the rest of my days with Steph. I wrote about a sweet little girl that would be my princess. She would have Stephanie's wild, curly hair and everyone would dote on her, just like the princess she would be. She would have a beautiful name and would grow up to be whatever she wanted to be, who would tell my princess that she couldn't do something?

The plane landed and we got off. There was a transport set up for the hostage and the two guards and I had a car waiting for me for the long drive home. I threw my bag into the seat next to me and once the transport left, I took off, heading towards Trenton. I stopped a few times for gas and food, but otherwise, I would not stop for the night until I get home to my babe. I didn't want to call her, I wanted to surprise her that I was home. I was about two hours away from Trenton and had just filled the car up with gas again. I finished the fueling and was headed into the store to get something to eat when out of nowhere a car came barreling into the parking lot and before I could react, it slammed into me and I felt my body go flying through the air. The last thing I remember was hitting the ground, hard, and then it all went black.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hospital Staff POV_

The victim of the accident had been brought in over three months ago and was still unconscious. He came in with no ID and they had no idea who he was, as he didn't match any missing person reports. They were able to treat most of his injuries, the most serious being his left leg. The majority of the bones had breaks or had shattered upon impact. They operated on him two times and the orthopedics were finally happy with the healing that had started in his leg. He would need one more surgery, and they were hoping he would be awake by that time. The neuro staff could not come up with any explanation as to why he hadn't woke up yet. He had no head injuries and there was just no explanation. All of his other injuries were superficial and had healed over time.

The nurses had started to make up stories about who he was and what he was doing at the gas station that day. The latest had him as a government spy who was tracking a terrorist across the country and the driver that ran into him was a part of the terrorist's team. She had to chuckle over that one. The actual driver of the car that hit him had had a fatal heart attack while driving and had been slumped over the wheel when he him the man. The car had slowed down some and eventually hit the side of the gas station store before coming to a stop.

The upcoming week would be the start of the fourth month he was at the hospital. She hoped that he would wake up soon. She's sure that someone was missing him.

 _Steph POV_

It had now been seven months since Ranger had left and five months since he had called. I kept hoping that he would call again, but Tank kept telling me that no news was good news. I'm not so sure I believe that anymore.

I had been sitting at my desk and the baby was being very active today. I'd never found out the sex of the baby because Ranger wasn't here with me. Surprisingly, my family was very supportive and my mother especially had been checking on me more often as I near the end of the pregnancy. She'd come over a few times and helped get the nursery set up. I'd had the contractor paint it a pale yellow and the guys had given us the furniture as a baby gift.

I saw a shadow fall across my desk and looked up to see Tank standing there with a blank face. That couldn't be good. "Hey Steph, can you come in my office for a minute?" he asked. "Sure big guy, help me up and I'll go with you." He grabbed my hands and hauled me up and we walked into his office. Once in the door, I saw Bobby and Lester sitting on the couch. I looked at them and crooked my eyebrow. I had finally mastered it and was proud of myself. I couldn't wait to show Ranger, he always laughed whenever I tried.

Tank walked over to his desk and sat down. "Bomber, have a seat." I looked between him and the other two and said, "No, I think I'll stand. It takes too much effort to sit and stand back up again." Bobby and Lester stood up and came to stand next to me, one on each side. "Bomber, I got a delivery today from Ranger's handler. It was returned to an in Army recruiting office outside of Washington DC and then eventually made its way to his handler." He reached down and pulled up a duffle bag. I recognized it as Ranger's and I had last seen it the night he showed up before he left on this job. "I haven't opened it yet because I wanted you to be here with me when I did." He pushed the bag towards me and I stepped up to his desk. I unzipped it and looked inside. I pulled out some shirts and shorts, socks and boxers, a bag of toiletries, a couple of notebooks and pens, and bottle of gel. I turned the bottle over and looked at it and laughed. "He took a bottle of my shower gel with him. I noticed it was missing and a bottle of his was left in its place, but I never imagined he took mine with him."

Tank reached for the notebooks and said, "Ranger takes notes during these missions and before you can look at these, I need to see what's inside and pass it on if it's about the mission. Sometimes he turns them in during his debriefings." He opened them one at a time and it was the last one that made him pause. He looked up at me and said, "The first two were blank so it's okay to look at them. This one seems to be a journal of some sort and is not related to the mission."

"What does it say Tank?" I asked. He looked at me and then at Bobby and Lester. "The first page has instructions on what to do with the bag in the event that he doesn't return from the mission."

I didn't say anything and just stared at him. I thought about what he just said and then it hit me. I started to sway and I started to fall. Bobby and Lester reached out and grabbed me before I fell and put me on the couch. I had tears running down my face and just kept shaking my head. "No, he can't be gone. I don't feel it, he's not gone." I kept repeating it and then Bobby was crouched down next to me. "Steph, how's the baby doing?" I looked at him and shook my head. "He's not gone Bobby. He's not, he's coming home and we're going to have a baby and live happily ever after." "Steph, how's the baby?" He put his hands on my stomach and pushed gently to feel the baby move. He took my blood pressure and kept watching me.

After about an hour, the door opened and Cal brought my mom into the room. She came over and pulled me into her arms. "He's not gone, he's not. I don't feel it." She just held me and then eventually pulled back and looked at me. "Stephanie, why don't we go upstairs and you can lie down and rest? The baby needs you to rest." Lester and Bobby helped me stand up and when I started to walk, my legs crumbled and then Lester swept me up into his arms and carried me upstairs to the apartment. He put me in bed and my mom sat with me, not saying anything, just rubbing my back and listening to me repeat over and over that Ranger wasn't gone. Bobby showed up a few minutes later and talked to my mom. "I've talked to her OBGYN and got the permission to give her a mild sedative. She needs to rest and that will give us time to find out what's going on about Ranger." My mom murmured something I couldn't hear and then felt a sharp poke on my arm. Bobby reached up and wiped my tears and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He whispered, "Steph, get some rest and we'll all be here when you wake up. Don't fight it, just relax and let it happen." That's the last thing I remember.


	8. Chapter 8

_Ranger POV_

My first thought was that my left leg itched like nothing I had ever felt before. I could hear the beeping of a machine and figured out quickly that I was in a hospital. I tried to open my eyes but it was too tiring. I sighed and fell back asleep.

The next time I woke up, my leg still itched and I could still hear the beeping. I was able to open my eyes for a moment but the lights were too bright so I shut them again quickly. I didn't hear anyone in my room and soon fell back asleep.

I kept this up a few more times before I heard someone in the room with me. "Babe." I choked out. Someone grabbed my hand and brushed the hair off of my forehead. "You're okay. You were hit by a car and are in the hospital. Just relax and the doctors will be here soon to see you. You're okay." The voice was gentle and reassuring but it wasn't Stephanie. I didn't know where I was and I couldn't remember anything. I knew I had gone on a mission, was I injured during the mission? I soon fell back asleep.

I woke up again and opened my eyes. Yep, I was in the hospital, but it didn't look like the one in Trenton. Where was I? A nurse walked over and picked up my hand. "Welcome back to the land of the living. You've been asleep for quite a while. You're in a hospital outside of Washington, DC. Do you remember what happened to you?"

I looked at her and gave a small shake of my head. "You were hit by a car and have been unconscious ever since." I looked at her questionably and she said, "It's been almost six months since it happened. You've been through a couple surgeries on your leg and have one more to go but the doctors decided to put off until you woke up. I need to go tell them you're finally awake. Don't try to sit up or get out of bed until I come back, okay?" She looked at me and I gave a slight nod. She started walking towards the door when she stopped and turned around and smiled at me. "By the way, my name is Becca."

She came back in a few minutes later with two doctors. They came over to my bedside and started checking me over. They explained about the accident, the injuries and about the mystery sleep for almost five months. They moved the bed to a sitting position and checked me over again. I felt a little dizzy for a few minutes but it passed. They talked about the next surgery and wanted to schedule it for the next week. Once they left the nurse came back in and walked over to me. "Feeling better sitting up?" I nodded my head. "Let me get you a cup of water and we'll get a bit in you before you try to talk, okay?" I nodded again and let her help with the cup of water and straw. A few sips later, I could swallow without cringing. "Thanks." I choked out.

"So I told you my name, which again is Becca. Do you know what your name is? You came in without anything – no wallet, no ID, nothing - and have you listed as John Doe." She looked at me and I said, "Ranger." She smiled and said, "Nickname I hope?" I smiled and nodded. "Can I call anyone for you?" "Babe." "Babe your girlfriend?" More nodding and then I smiled, closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep. Becca stayed for minute and brushed the hair off his face. "Well, Ranger, we'll figure out who your Babe is and we'll call her. She must be worried about you."

This was the pattern for the rest of that day and the next. I'd wake up enough to answer a few questions, drink some water and fall back asleep. Becca was with me during the day and I had a couple different nurses during the night that checked on me. I had no idea what happened to my rental car and bag that was left at the gas station. Most likely it was towed and sitting somewhere not too far away. Hopefully my bag was still in it and could get returned to me. My cell phone and IDs were in the car. I had some cash in my pants pocket so I didn't take my wallet with me when I walked towards the gas station store. I was starting to remember the accident and when Becca came back in the morning, I'd have her contact Tank.

The last surgery on my leg happened soon after and once I woke up from that, I felt like I was awake for good. Sleeping was the last thing I wanted to do. Becca had found a lap top for me to use and I tried to email Tank, but I couldn't get logged into my RangeMan account. It kept saying invalid user. What the hell?

 _Tank POV_

I was sitting at my desk getting more pissed the longer I was kept on hold. The music was horrible and I had been getting the runaround for the past hour. I was trying to get through to Ranger's handler in DC to find out where the duffel bag came from. Bomber was convinced Ranger was still alive and for now, we were all just going along with her. I knew that if Ranger had that message in that notebook aboutwhat to do with it in the event of his death, then he was dead. While on hold, Hector came in and said that someone tried to access Ranger's email account. He was going to trace it and find out where it was coming from. Hopefully Ranger hadn't left any RangeMan information in his bag and that it had been stolen.

I finally got through to the assistant to the assistant to the handler. I told my story, again, and asked for confirmation of Ranger's death. I was once again told that the information regarding an operative was classified and was not allowed to be given out over the phone. I left another message for the handler and slammed down the receiver.

Lester came in and said, "Anything?" I shook my head and said, "Dumbasses won't release information about an operative over the phone." I looked up at him and said, "Feel like taking a road trip?" He quickly agreed and said, "If it brings closure for Steph, then let's do it. She's due any day so I'd like to do it sooner rather than later." I agreed and asked him to make arrangements. I called Lula to ask her to come over and stay with Steph, but didn't tell her why. I didn't want to give Steph any false hope.


	9. Chapter 9

_Steph POV_

I know I was driving Tank nuts about Ranger being alive. But after reading his journal again, for probably the thousandth time, he was on his way home. He was on the plane and he wrote of our future. Marriage, children, everything he ever wanted to have with me. I just knew he wasn't dead. I still didn't feel it. The journal had a spot on the bookshelves in the living room, where I could see it all times and pick it up if I needed to feel him.

I was only a few days away from my due date and now had Lula here to keep an eye on me. Tank and Lester went somewhere and wouldn't tell me. Bobby stayed here in case I went into labor. If Ranger wasn't here for the delivery, I was going to have my mom and Bobby. My mom, I know. We've gotten closer during this pregnancy and were now even closer after getting the duffel bag delivered.

I got up and walked around the apartment, checking on the nursery again. I thought I had everything I needed at least in the beginning. My back had been hurting all day and walking seemed to help it. Lula kept following me and finally I snapped at her to back off. She went back into the living room and I went out to apologize. "I'm sorry, Lula. I'm just crabby today. My back is bothering me and I'm anxious about Tank and Lester's unplanned day out of the office." Before she could say anything, I had a bad contraction, almost doubled over from the strength of it and gasped. She jumped up and came over and held onto me so I didn't fall over. Right then, my water broke. She jumped back and yelled. "Well, I guess it's time to go. Can you get Bobby and call my mom? I'm going to get my bag." I walked into the bedroom, grabbed the picture of Ranger and I and my bag, which my mom had packed months ago. I put the picture in it and went into the bathroom and got the bottle of Ranger's shower gel. If he couldn't be there with me, at least I could pretend and smell him.

When I walked back into the living room, Bobby, Lula, Cal and Hector were waiting for me. I looked at Cal and said, "My water already broke so no reason to faint." I started laughing at him until the next contraction hit. Bobby asked how long it had been and I looked at Lula. It was her job to time them. She sputtered, "I don't know. I forgot to look. I was too excited and busy calling people." We headed for the elevator and headed down to the garage. When we got there, a group of RangeMen were waiting for us. They wished me good luck and said to keep them posted. Many hugs and kisses later, we were finally in the car and on the way. Most of the guys ended up at the hospital waiting for the baby, and I had heard a few of them talking about using an answering machine for the first time.

The next twelve hours were awful. Truly awful. I have on other way to describe it. The contractions got stronger and closer together. I was upset that Ranger wasn't there with me and would burst into tears and sob over him being gone. Bobby hovered over me so much that my mom actually kicked him out of the room for a while. Lula kept trying to call Tank, but got no answer. Surprise of all surprises, my mom actually was my rock. She kept me going, breathing through the contractions, debating the use of pain medications and reassured me that I wouldn't be in labor for the rest of my life, although it felt like it.

In the end, it was all worth the pain and tears. Alejandro Carlos Manoso was born at 5:30 am weighing in at 9 pounds even and was almost 23 inches long. He had black silky hair with a bit of a curl and all ten fingers and ten toes. I would know because I counted them multiple times. He had my blue eyes, which I hoped would never change, and his skin color was the perfect shade in between Ranger and myself. He seemed to take the birth all in stride. Never really cried, just alert and looking around. He seemed to have Ranger's blank face, but I didn't care. I couldn't stop crying and holding him to me. Our baby was here but Ranger was not.

We were able to go home two days later, but it seemed sad without Ranger with us. My mom stayed with us during the day and Bobby or Ella stayed with us at night. I was still doubting my mothering abilities and felt better with them in the apartment. I was nursing Alex, but still, having someone with me was helpful, just by holding the baby while I showered or ate. By the end of the third day, I was more comfortable and my mom was able to go back home. My dad was thrilled to finally have a grandson, but he didn't function well by himself at home, and there was always the worry in the back of my mind that he and grandma would fight the entire time mom was gone.

 _Ranger POV_

Nurse Becca got a phone for me to use and when I called RangeMan, I got a recording that the office was closed and if this was an emergency, please call 911. What the hell? We always had someone to answer the phone, even when things got crazy. We don't treat our clients like this, a fucking answer machine? My email account still wasn't working and now no one answered the switchboard? Tank's phone went unanswered, so did Lester's. I give up. I hope to get this leg fixed so I can go kick some asses in Trenton.

I was finishing up therapy and would be able to leave in a few days and would head back to Trenton. I needed to get to my babe. Becca had been able to help me track down my rental car. It had been towed from the gas station and was currently in the impound lot across town. Calls to the car rental agency had resolved the problems, and the car was going to be taken to the airport, but before it went back to the airport, I went to the impound lot time to find my duffle bag. Unfortunately, the bag wasn't in the car. The impound lot knew nothing about the bag and it wasn't on the list of items in the car when it had been impounded. Someone must have taken it out of the car at the gas station before it was towed. They did have my wallet and cell phone, but after so much time, the phone was dead, the charger had been in the duffel, but at least I had money and credit cards again. I ordered a car with a driver to take me back to Trenton because it was easier than trying to drive with my leg in a cast. Plus, I was still on some pain medicine that made me a bit loopy at times. Thankfully, my credit cards still worked so I was able to order some flowers for Becca and had them delivered as a thank you for all of her wonderful care and extra work while I was in her care. The car arrived and I got in and promptly fell asleep. It would take about two or three hours to get to Trenton, depending on the traffic.

 _Hector POV_

I finally got the information on the computer that had been used to try and get into the Ranger's email account for RangeMan. It was from a suburb of Washington, DC. I tried to call Tank and Lester with the news, but they were not answering their phones. While I was trying to find an owner's name for the computer, I heard a ping. I looked at one of my other computers and saw that there were a few hits on Ranger's credit cards. The cards had been used at an impound lot, a florist and a car service company, all on the same day. Someone had gotten ahold of Ranger's wallet and he needed to put a stop to it. He tried to call Tank again.

 _Tank POV_

God damn it, how much government bullshit do we have to go through to get some answers. Lester and I had been down here for almost a week and still had no answers. We had contacted and met with everyone we knew, except for Ranger's handler. The man's assistant still would not let them in to meet with him. No one would answer their question as to if Ranger was alive or dead. Every time we went into one of the government building, we had to leave their cell phones in the car so they weren't taken away.

We came out from our latest attempt and found a message from Hector. The computer was used outside of DC and now he had gotten some hits on a credit card of Ranger's, in the same area as the computer. He gave us an address and we decided to head out to it. I plugged the address into the GPS in my car and we took off. We pulled up to the building and I looked over at Lester. He had the same express on his face that I was sure I had right now. "Well, shit", I said. Lester hummed in agreement and I parked the car. We got out and headed towards the door and walked in. A woman was sitting at the desk and looked up and smiled when we walked in the building. "Welcome to Johns Hopkins Hospital, how may I help you?"


	10. Chapter 10

_Ranger POV_

The driver dropped me off in front of the RangeMan building. It was just after 3:00 am and all seemed to be quiet. I hobbled along with my crutches towards the front door. My bag was strapped across my back and my key fob was in it. When I'd left the hospital, I had on a pair of basketball shorts and a sweatshirt. I hadn't thought ahead about getting into the building with my key. I was after comfort with the cast and bandages.

I used my crutch to bang on the door and got the attention to the man at the desk. He looked up in surprise and ran around the desk to open the door. "Oh my god Ranger, you're home," he said. I gave him a confused look and asked him for the elevator. I told him not to announce my arrival to anyone yet. All I wanted to do was go up to my apartment and drop in bed for a few hours. Then, I was going to let Tank know I was back and then go find Steph. He helped me inside and pushed the button for me to get to the top floor. When the elevator opened, I hobbled out and looked at my apartment door. There was a wreath of blue flowers hanging on the door. "What the hell?" I thought.

I leaned on one crutch and turned the doorknob. I shuffled inside and using my crutch, closed the door behind me. I made my way over to the couch and noticed someone sleeping on it. Bobby. What the hell was going on?

I shrugged off my bag and let it drop on the floor with a loud thud. Bobby jumped up, gun drawn, and looked right at me. "Oh my god, you're alive", he said, pulling me into a big hug. "What the hell is going on here Brown?" I asked. "Oh, you're going to love this, just follow me. He led me towards my bedroom before I noticed a couple of new doors that wasn't there when I left. Looking around, I noticed more things had changed. There were new framed photos on the walls and the bookshelves seemed to be full of knick-knacks, including journal that I had kept during my mission. My duffel, which had the journal in it, had been stolen out of the rental car before it got to the impound lot. Someone must have found it and turned it over to the Army. It must have made it somehow to Tank and he put it up here instead of giving it to Steph.

I turned towards the first new door and found a full bathroom, complete with a tub and shower. What the hell was going on? Who decided to remodel my apartment? I closed that door and kept following Bobby. We walked the few steps to the other new door. Bobby motioned for me to open it and I slowly turned the knob. I pushed opened the door slightly and noticed a soft light coming from a dresser in the far corner of the room. I pushed the door open the rest of the way and what I saw stopped my heart for a moment. The love of my life, my babe, was sitting in a rocking chair gently rocking a baby, who looked to be a newborn, and was dressed in black footed pajamas that had the batman symbol all of them and then I noticed the baby's hair. Curly and silky black hair, combined with a skin tone that was a bit lighter than mine, meant that this was my baby. I couldn't believe it. My babe had our baby while I was gone. Bobby dropped a hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Leaning into me, he said softly, "I'm going back to the couch. I'm here to help her if she needs it. Go meet your son."

She didn't notice the door open and she was nursing the baby and softly talking to the baby. I stood silently and listened to her. "My sweet baby boy. You're growing so fast. I wish your daddy was here to see you and hold you. I know he'll love you, just like he loves me. He'd be so proud of us, knowing that we kept going on after he left. Everyone thinks he's gone, but I don't feel it. I know he'll come home one day, hopefully soon."

I shifted on my crutches and the noise that had Steph turning around. She looked at me and let out a gasp. "Babe." She stopped rocking and the baby started to fuss. He'd lost his latch to her nipple and was rooting around trying to get back on to continue eating. "Carlos? Are you real or am I dreaming again?"

"Babe, it's me, I'm not a dream. I'm finally home. Who do you have there with you?"

She stared at me and a short cry from the baby seemed to jolt back to the present time. She adjusted the baby and he latched back on and started eating again. "Carlos?" I shuffled over to her and reached out a hand to touch her face. She sighed and leaned into my hand, giving it a kiss. She looked at me and I saw the tears streaming down her face. I reached down and wiped her tears and the noticed the baby had his eyes open and while still nursing, was staring at me. Bright blue eyes staring at me with a somewhat blank face. I leaned more on my crutches and reached my hand from Steph to the baby. "Babe?"

She looked down at my hand and laughed. "Oh my god, you're home. Are you okay? What happened to your leg?" "Babe, we can talk about my leg later. Tell me who you've got in your arms."

"Carlos, meet your son, Alejandro Carlos Manoso. Alex, meet your daddy." Alex had stopped nursing and was just staring. She shifted the baby onto her shoulder and gently rubbed his back. She stood up and ushered me to sit in the rocking chair. She put Alex into my arms and leaned my crutches up against the wall. I rocked Alex and just stared at him. Steph stood next to us with tears streaming down her face and with my other hand, I reached out to her and pulled her onto my lap too. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. I got lost momentarily in her kiss and then Alex decided he was being neglected and started to fuss. We both laughed and I reached down to move him up to my shoulder. Steph leaned in and kissed him. She got up and let me rock him to sleep. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep and then Steph took him and put him gently in his crib. She came back over to me and helped me stand up and handed me my crutches. She led me out of the room and quietly closed the door to Alex's room.

We headed to the bedroom and there were a few changes in here as well. I'd look the apartment over better in the morning, but for now, I just wanted to get into bed and hold Steph. She helped me into the bathroom and then over to the bed. I sat down and swung my leg with the cast into bed. She set the crutches down and then climbed into bed next to me. She turned the baby monitor on and then curled up into me. She wrapped her arms around me and I kissed her until we were both breathless. "Carlos, I have so many questions for you, and I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me, but you look like you could sleep for days. We'll talk about it all in the morning, okay? Alex will sleep for only about two hours before he wakes up again for another feeding. Let's sleep for now. Let me hold you and just sleep. I love you and am so happy you came home to us."


	11. Chapter 11

_Ranger POV_

When I woke up, the sun was shining through the window and I could hear Steph singing softly. I turned towards the sound and saw the baby monitor. It had a video screen and I could see her rocking Alex again, while he nursed. She was dressed for the day so I assume I'd been asleep for a while. I grabbed my crutches and hobbled to the bathroom and then into the closet to change my clothes. I'd need to have Steph help me wrap my cast so I can shower later.

I headed into the nursery and stopped in the doorway. She'd left the door open, probably so she could hear me if I called for her. She looked up and smiled. "You have a hungry little boy here. Why don't you head out to the living room and we'll be out in a few minutes. You can hold him while we talk." I nodded and headed towards the couch.

Once I got into the living room, I was greeted by Steph's parents. Her mom pulled me in for a big hug and told me how happy she was I was home. Her dad shook my hand and when I mentioned I wanted to talk to him, he said, "Don't feel like you need to ask us because Stephanie is her own woman, but if it matters to you, then you have our permission. Glad you made it home." We sat down and waited for Steph and the baby. She came out soon after and brought Alex over to me and put him in my arms. She sat next to me and couldn't stop touching me. Her hand was in constant contact me some part of me. If I didn't have Alex to hold, I would be doing the same thing to her.

Once we were all settled, I looked at Steph. "I'll go first and you can fill in the blanks areas for me, okay?" She nodded. I started talking and once I got to where I stopped at the gas station, she gasped. "You were only 2 hours away from here for the past six months?" "Yeah, I apparently got hit by a car in the parking lot of the gas station and my wallet and cell phone were in the rental car, along with my duffel. I saw you had my journal, how did you get that? The duffel bag was missing when I finally found the car in the impound lot. My wallet and phone were still where I had put them under the seat, but the bag was gone. Someone must have stolen it from the car, but didn't find my wallet or phone." Steph looked at him and said, "Tank got it sent to him from your handler. Apparently someone found it and turned it into a recruiting office and it made its way here. Tank had me go through everything, but he went through the notebooks first in case they had notes about your mission. He found the note in the front of your notebook about returning it if something happened to you and then gave me the notebook." She looked up at me and had tears in her eyes. "I didn't believe it though. I knew you weren't dead, but they didn't listen to me. I told them every day, but they didn't believe me." I motioned to her mom and she came and took Alex from me. I pulled Steph into my lap and held her. She sobbed and sobbed, all the while holding onto me as tight as she could. Her mom and dad headed into the nursery with Alex so Steph and I could be alone.

"Babe, it's okay. I'm sorry you had to read that page of the journal. I had hoped to take that page out and let you read the rest of it once I got home. I was almost home. I wish it hadn't taken so long for me to get back to you and Alex. I wish I could have been here for his birth. Did everything go okay with the pregnancy and the birth?"

She wiped her face and said, "My pregnancy had its moments, and the delivery wasn't too bad." I looked at her and quirked an eyebrow and she laughed. "Ok, the delivery was awful. Bobby and my mom were great and I was glad to have them with me since you weren't there. Alex took his time getting here, but I have a few photo albums put together for you and Hector videotaped parts of the delivery if you want to watch it later. I might have cursed you a few times."

I hugged her and gave her a very long and satisfying kiss. She moaned and then sighed. "I'm out of commission for another few weeks." I nodded and said, "So am I Babe, so am I." We sat together for a bit and then I pulled her face away and looked at her. "Babe, you and Alex complete my life. Make a family with me. Marry me?" She smiled and said, "You bet your ass I will." I laughed and kissed her again.

"Now, tell me what the hell is going on around here? When I could finally call, I got an answering machine? When do we have an answering machine? Where the hell were the guys? I tried to call Tank and Lester, but go no answer from them either. My RangeMan email account said it was invalid. Did they write me off as dead?"

"That was probably when I went into labor. RangeMan took over the hospital, except for Tank and Lester. They left about two weeks ago and haven't come back yet. I think Hector has talked to them, but no one else can ever get through to them. I don't know about the email."

"I know, I tried Tank multiple times over the past few days. I'll go downstairs to my office later and get a hold of my handler. I bet he didn't know about the accident and then didn't call to let Tank know that I was home since I made it back to the country and through debriefing without any problems."

"Why don't you go get Alex and my parents and I'll call Ella and get breakfast. You can surprise her with being back, hell, being alive. She was one of my strongest supports before I had Alex." She stood up and walked into the kitchen. By the time I could get standing, she was on the phone with Ella, asking for breakfast for four today.

I walked into the nursery and found Steph's parents cooing over Alex, while he lay in his crib. He wasn't sleeping, just lying there. I walked over and told them that Steph was getting breakfast and they could head on out to the kitchen. I waited until they had left the room before I started speaking to Alex. I told him how sorry I was for not being there when he was born and how I would never leave him or his mother again. I was so caught up in staring at him and talking to him that I didn't hear Steph walk up behind me. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around and saw her. She reached up and wiped the tears off my face, tears that I hadn't even realized were falling. I leaned down and kissed her and she picked up Alex. "Let's go eat Carlos."

We went out into the living room, just in time to see Ella walking out of the kitchen. Steph walked over to her and turned her around to face me. She let out a gasp and came running over. I hugged her the best I could without falling off my crutches and kissed her cheek. Steph invited her to stay to eat with us, but she said she had things to do. I asked to please keep my presence in the building a secret until I could get downstairs and see what kind of mess was in my office.

After we ate, Steph's parents left and Steph took Alex into the nursery to feed him and put him down for a nap. He had fallen asleep while we ate, but was not awake and upset. I followed soon after and sat and just watched. It was a beautiful sight to see. Alex was soon in his crib and I led Steph back into our bedroom. I made her lay down for a nap herself and I laid down with her and she was soon asleep. I couldn't sleep and headed out into the living room. I found the photo albums she'd put together during her pregnancy and looked through them multiple times before I found the dvd of Alex's birth.

I was just putting the video in when the front door opened and Bobby walked in. I motioned him over and he sat down next to me. We talked about my injuries and asked if he could change me to a walking cast. He said he'd find me an orthopedic doctor to go see as soon as possible and then get my care transferred over to him. I explained about the accident and what I knew of my injuries. He was amazed at how close to home I really was and yet no one could find me.

I started the video and by that time Steph had come out of the bedroom carrying Alex. She sat next to me and started to nurse him. I looked between her and Bobby and neither seemed uncomfortable with it, so I let it be. Steph took control of the remote and would pause the video every so often to give a commentary. When the video got to the actual delivery, I stared at it in amazement. It was such a beautiful sight to see my son coming into the world. Steph had tears running down her face when I looked over at her, but she just shook her head and wiped her face. "Makes me cry every time I watch it, even though I went through it the first time." I noticed that the onscreen Stephanie was almost sobbing by the time Alex was placed on her chest. I reached over and gave her a kiss. "Thank you Babe for giving me the greatest gift of all. I love you. I love both of you."


	12. Chapter 12

_Ranger POV_

I managed to stay in the apartment for three days before the itch to get downstairs to my office took over. Steph had been running interference for me whenever one of the guys would drop by the apartment to see Alex. I usually had time to get into the bedroom, but one time, I had to stand behind the open apartment door in order to not let Cal see me. I wasn't hiding from my men, I just needed some more time to regroup and be alone with Steph and Alex.

By evening of the third day, Steph knew what I needed and we decided to go as a family down to my office. We managed to get down the elevator, across the control room floor and into my office without anyone seeing us. The guys in the control room were glued to the monitors and never even looked back when the elevator opened. I sat down at my desk and Steph sat holding Alex across from me. There were piles and piles of paperwork all over my desk. I looked from the papers over to Steph. She laughed and said, "Tank doesn't like paperwork and I did what I could, but towards the end, I couldn't sit for very long because my back hurt too much. We can have one of the guys sort through it and pull out the important things you need to see and then I can work on the rest while Alex is sleeping."

We sat quietly for about an hour before Alex started to fuss. She settled back into the chair and nursed him while I continued to work. When she stopped to switch breasts, Alex started to cry again. Before either one of us could react, the door opened and Cal and Hal came through. Cal said, "We heard the baby cry and wanted to see if we could help." Steph laughed and said, "Not on this one. I'm the only one that has what he needs." She settled Alex back in her arms and opened her bra on the other side to start nursing him. Both men turned bright red and turned to leave. "We'll just go now. See you later Steph, you too boss", said Hal.

They got about halfway out the door before they turned around. "Boss?" "Yes," I asked. "You're back" said Cal. "Yes, I know I'm back. Do you need anything else?" I asked. "No, no, glad to see you're back." They turned and almost ran out of the office. Steph was laughing at me and said, "Well, that was fun. Who do you think will come in next?"

We didn't' have to wait long before the rest of the guys that were on duty came streaming into my office. I was welcomed back by all of them and they each took a minute to stop by where Steph was sitting with Alex. Who knew one little baby would turn my men into mush? The only men missing were Tank, Lester and Hector. Where were those stooges at and why hadn't they called?

Finally Steph said enough and shooed everyone out of the office. She looked at me and said, "Time for you to go back upstairs. You look exhausted and I know your leg must be throbbing." She stood up and walked over and held out her hand, pulling me up. I grabbed my crutches and together we headed upstairs. She put Alex in his crib and then came back to help me shower and get into bed. Bobby had provided a cast cover for my leg so showering went quicker than trying to wrap plastic around it.

Once we were in bed, Steph wrapped herself around me and we both soon fell asleep. Tomorrow I had an appointment with an orthopedic doctor and hopefully I'd get a walking cast so I'd be more mobile.

 _Lester POV_

Two days at the hospital trying to get information about Ranger was enough to drive me crazy. We found out that someone matching his description had been a patient, but the nurse who mainly tended him was out of town on vacation. We tried to pull the military personnel card, but were soon shot down. Then, I called Ranger's hander's office, again. His secretary finally put me through to him and he verified that the mission was a success and everyone made it back stateside in good health. His handler told me that Ranger brought the target in alive and was part of the transport team back to the states. Ranger went through the debriefing and then headed out of town. His contract was now over so the handler had no reason to contact him. What the hell happened to him after the debriefing?

Tank finally was able to talk that nurse, Becca. She looked at us suspiciously before we pulled out our ID's and pulled up a picture of Ranger from the company web site. She wouldn't give us any medical information but did say that he was her patient for almost six months, but had been discharged. She also said that she tried to help him get in touch with his company, but his email wouldn't work and when he could finally call, no one answered and a machine came on. She said he was discharged soon after and she assumed he headed for home.

Hector had turned up yesterday and was helping us track down Ranger's activities once he was discharged from the hospital. The driver he hired to get him back to Trenton was the most informational. Hector was able to get the information from the company's computer and discovered that Ranger headed back to Trenton only three days ago and the trip was uneventful. The driver dropped him off about 3:00 am at the RangeMan building.

"We need to get back to Trenton, and like now," I said to the guys. They loaded the car and headed out. Damn, Ranger was going to have their heads once they got back into the office.

As they raced back to Trenton, Lester thought about the last few months. Steph never stopped believing that Ranger was alive and trying to find his way home. She'd had the baby about a week ago and it was a boy that much he knew. Tank was driving as fast as he could and before too long, they pulled up to the garage at RangeMan. Tank fobbed his way into the garage and they all took off on the stairs at a full out run. Tank and Hector stopped at the control room floor, but Lester ran the extra few floors up to Ranger's apartment. He came to stop outside the door and stopped to catch his breath before knocking on the door.


	13. Chapter 13

Steph's POV

I heard the knock at the door and slipped out of bed. Walking down the hall, I checked on Alex and he was still sleeping. I went to the door and flung it open and said, "What?" Lester looked around the apartment, presumably for Ranger, and then reached out to hug me. "Beautiful, boy are you a sight for sore eyes." "Les, what do you want? It's the middle of the night and I'm tired. Alex will be up in about an hour and I'd like to sleep." "Steph, can you sit down so I can talk to you about Ranger?"

We sat down on the couch. I didn't let on that Ranger was back, because I wanted to hear what Lester told me. He launched into a very long story about what he and Tank were doing when they left. He talked about all the struggles they went through to get in touch with Ranger's handler and how Hector joined them once he discovered activity on Ranger's credit cards. He talked about tracking Ranger's movements once he landed back in the states. He sat back and ran his hands through his hair.

"Beautiful, have you heard from Ranger in the past few days?"

Before I could answer, a cry came from the nursery. I jumped up and went to get the baby. I'm sure Lester could hear me murmuring to the baby, but he couldn't make out the words. I changed his diaper and brought him out to the living room and sat down in the rocking chair. I situated Alex at my breast for a feeding and looked up to see Lester's face turn bright red and he quickly looked away. I chuckled and said, "Les, it's what I need to do, there's nothing sexual about it." He just nodded and wouldn't turn his head around until I told him to do so.

"When he's done eating, do you want to hold him?" "If you are okay with it, I'd love to hold him. You said his name is Alex?"

"Yep, Alejandra Carlos Manoso; a big, strong name for a big boy, isn't that right? Alex, this is your Uncle Lester." I reached down and rubbed my finger down his cheek. Lester sat mesmorized by the sight before him, so much that he forgot for a moment why he was there. "Um, Steph? Have you heard from Ranger?"

I started to answer, but stopped when I noticed Ranger standing in the doorway. I smirked a little and then waited for it. Ranger reached out and with his crutch, smacked Lester in the back of the head. Lester jumped up and reached for his gun at the same time. Ranger stood and just stared at Lester. "Looking for me?" Les dropped his gun in the chair and reached out to pull Ranger into a hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you're not dead." Ranger sighed and said, "So am I, so am I, now that I have something to live for. Where the hell have you been?"

Lester sat back down and motioned for Ranger to sit down and then proceeded to tell his story. By the time the story was over, there was another knock at the door. Ranger stood up and balanced on his crutches. "I'll get the door. It's probably the other two stooges." He walked over and yanked open the door and barked out, "Report." Tank and Hector stood there and couldn't speak. Ranger just continued to stare at them but I finally took pity on them and called them into the apartment. They both walked in and then gave a yelp as they walked past Ranger. He had smacked both of them on the backside with his crutch. I gave a chuckle and motioned for them to sit down on the couch. Lester was now holding Alex and I noticed that Hector was staring at him. I walked over and took the baby from Les and handed him to Hector. Ranger stood in amazment, watching the former gang member cradle the baby and coo at him. Alex was awake and alert, with those big blue eyes staring back at Hector.

I cleared my throat and said, "Well, since you all finally decided to come home, meet your new nephew. Uncle Tank and Uncle Hector, meet Alejandro Carlos Manoso." Tank tried to take the baby away from Hector, but he wouldn't give him up. Ranger stood and shook his head. "Sit down, all of you. I want to hear your version of this mess. Why the hell was an answering machine picking up my call the one time I finally got through?" Hector snuggled the baby started talking. By the time he got to the part of the credit card charges, Alex had fallen asleep. I stood up to get him and take him to the nursery, but Hector waved me off and kept holding Alex.

The guys talked about Ranger's mission, well as best as they could with unclassified me in the room. Ranger filled them in on his hospital stay, at least what he knew about it. I noticed that Ranger was starting to look tired and I told the guys to end the party and they could talk again tomorrow. I went over to Hector and took Alex away from him. He didn't look pleased, but I said, "Let me know when you can nurse him and I'll let you keep holding him." He stood up and gave me a kiss on the cheek and gave Alex a kiss on top of his head. He stroked Alex's hair for a minute and then said something in Spanish. I looked to Ranger for translation and he said, "Hector said that the baby is beautiful, a perfect combination of the two of us. He also said that he will be back tomorrow to help you and you are not allowed to refuse his help." I gave Hector a kiss and then wiped the tears off my face. "Sorry, still have the hormones."

The guys left and then I got Alex settled back into his crib and got Ranger and myself put to bed. I reached over and snuggled into him and sighed. "Babe?" "Just glad you're home and we're finally a family."

Steph's POV

The next few weeks went quickly. Ranger got into the orthopedic doctor and got changed into a walking cast and seemed to be doing well with it. He was back to work almost full time in his office and Bobby had set up a modified training program for him. Alex was growing and thriving in his first few weeks. Our first doctor's appointments went well and he was on track for height and weight. Much to my delight, his eyes stayed the same bright blue as they were when he was born.

Before I knew it, it was time for my six week checkup at the doctor's office. I was hoping to be cleared for bedroom activities, as Ranger, and ok I'll admit, myself as well, were anxious to continue what we had started when he left for his mission. Alex was starting to sleep a bit longer and I was planning to see if Ella would keep him overnight if things went the way I hoped at my appointment. Ranger insisted on keeping Alex in his office while I went to my appointment. I had pumped a few bottles that would tide him over in case I was delayed. I dropped him off with Ranger and with a kiss to both of them, I headed down the stairs to the garage. I was walking to the car when Hector came running after me. "I go with you." There was no chance of a rebuttal, because he grabbed the keys from my and jumped into the driver's seat.

I stepped out of the doctor's office and found Hector leaning against the door of the car. He didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow in question. I smiled and said, "I'm good to go." He smiled and we got into the car. When we pulled back into the garage, I jumped out of the car and followed Hector upstairs. I bounced into Ranger's office and jumped in his lap. I gave him a big kiss and said, "Good to go." He kissed me back and sighed. I wasn't the only one that was frustrated with the waiting.

I got up and picked up Alex. "I'll go check with Ella to see if she can keep him tonight and then I'll meet you upstairs." Before I could leave, Hector grabbed my arm and said, "No." I looked at him, "Huh?" "No Ella, I will keep tonight." He grabbed my handed and pulled me out of Ranger's office and into the elevator. We went up to the apartment and he waited while I pack a bag of clothes and diapers for Alex and then we went into the kitchen and I packed a small cooler of bottles that would hopefully get him through the night. Hector had grabbed the portable crib we had set up in the living room and I followed him down to his apartment. Surprisingly, I was okay with Hector keeping Alex overnight. I knew he would be in the building, just two floors below us and I could be there in a minute if he needed me. Hector set up the crib in his bedroom, next to his bed and we laid Alex down. I leaned down to kiss him and made sure he was okay.

I took the bag of bottles and put them in his refrigerator. I showed him how to heat them up and handed over the bag of diapers and clothes. He pulled the baby monitor out of the bag and went back into his bedroom to set it up. "I really appreciate this Hector. Just call us if you need anything and I can come down." He looked at me and then kissed my forehead. "I will not call unless urgent. Go, go back upstairs and enjoy your man. We will be fine." He pushed me towards the door and then gave my butt a swat on my way out. I laughed and ran upstairs. I jumped in the shower and quickly got ready. By the time I was walking back into the bedroom, Ranger was already laying across the bed in all his naked glory. "Babe."

I woke up in the early morning hours and my breasts were throbbing. I needed to pump or nurse, and soon. I sat for a minute trying to decide what to do when Ranger handed my phone to me. "Just call and go get him. You're leaking Babe." I looked down and sighed. I called Hector and then cleaned myself up and waited for Alex. A knock came at the door a few minutes later and Hector walked in with Alex. I reached for him immediately and got him situated to nurse. Hector had been spending a lot of time with us in the past few weeks and was quite comfortable with my nursing. We talked quietly about how their night went and when Alex was done feeding, I took him into his nursery and put him in his crib. I came out and found Hector sleeping on the couch. I chuckled and covered him with a quilt. Babies are hard work. I headed back to bed and snuggled into Ranger. "Everything okay Babe?" "Yep, little guy is fed and back in his crib and the big guy is passed out on the couch. I guess Hector's not used to being up every couple hours for a bottle and diaper change!"


	14. Chapter 14

p class="MsoNormal"- I'm not sure where I want this story to go from here. I have too many other ideas swirling through my mind. This may end up getting tied into another story, but for now, I'm calling it complete.-/p 


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